Montenegro is on track to become the second European country after Spain to grant working women the right to a two-day menstrual leave, the Montenegrin edition of Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported. The leave is intended for women who suffer from severe pain during menstruation or have been diagnosed with secondary dysmenorrhea - a condition associated with gynecological pathologies such as fibroids and polyps, BTA reports.
The initiative was presented by independent MP Evrosima Pejović in the Montenegrin parliament. Temporary incapacity for work due to dysmenorrhea will be certified by a specialist doctor.
Pejović emphasizes that in addition to providing relief for women, the measure also has a health effect. Annual preventive examinations, necessary for exercising the right to leave, will help in the timely detection of serious gynecological diseases. According to data from the Institute of Public Health, only one in three women detects cervical cancer in time, and Montenegro ranks sixth in Europe in terms of mortality from this disease.
Pejovic hopes that the proposal will receive support from parliament, especially from female deputies. However, some express concerns about the impact of the two-day leave on the economy, but the deputy notes that about 10% of women are affected by the disease, which minimizes the potential economic effect.
Last year, the Montenegrin government did not support a similar initiative by the Center for Women's Rights, RFE/RL recalls.
Spain remains the only European country that has officially included menstrual leave in its legislation. Similar proposals are also being considered in Italy, where some companies already provide menstrual leave, and legislative initiatives have been discussed since 2016.
In other European countries, such as the Netherlands, women support such an option but worry about its impact on their careers.
Meanwhile, menstrual leave has been a practice in several East Asian countries for decades. It was introduced in Japan almost 80 years ago, in South Korea 25 years ago, and similar rights exist in Indonesia, Taiwan and some Chinese provinces.